Thermostatic controller for signal apparatus.



A. GIACCONE.

THERMOSTATIC CONTROLLER FOR SIGNAL APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28. 1916.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

ALEXANDER emcconn, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

THERMOSTATIC CONTROLLER FOR SIGNAL APPARATUS.

Specification of-Lettcrs Patent. Patented D66. 17, 1918.

Application filed November 28, 1916. Serial No. 133,968.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER GrAccoNn, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of 'New York, have invented certaln new and useful Improvements in Thermostatic Controllers for Signal Apparatus, of

which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 7 V

This invention relates to thermostatic controllers for signal apparatus and particularly apparatus of this class designed for use in factories and other. buildings where a number of people are employed for the: purpose of signaling to the various parts,

7 compartments or divisions of the building in case of fire so as to give those in the building an opportunityto escape before it is too late; a further object being to provide an apparatus which, in addition to being used for the purpose specified, may also be used for other purposes, as for instance, for releasing the valve or other devices used in connection with water pipes employed in whatare known as shower systems for extinguishing fire a still further object being to providemeans, in an apparatus of the class specified, whereby the degree of heat necessary to operate the apparatus may be regulated; and with these and other objects 'in view the invention consists in an apparatus of the class specified constructed and operating as hereinafter described 7 and claimed.

The invention described and claimed here in is an improvement on that. described and claimed in a prior application filed by me Dec. 15, 1915, Serial No.'66.,89-7, and'said invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms apart, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the section views, and in which':;'.

Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of my improved apparatusyq Fig. 2 a bottom planview of one part of the apparatus shown in Figil'an'd showing said, part on an enlargedscale partly in (Fig. 3 a transverse section an. theline 3-,3 of Fig. 2 and man enlarged scale;

Fig. 4 a view similar to Fig. but show hood frame is preferably rectangular in form, the bottom thereof being open.

Within the hood frame and in the opposite side portions thereof are secured two parallel, similar and conductor frames 6, consisting of parallel outer metal strips 6 having inwardly directed end members 6 to the bottomof which are secured parallel metal strips b, and the frames 6 are secured in the hood frame by screws 0 which are passed outwardly through the end portions 6 of the arts 6 and through the end members a o the hood frame,.and which constitute binding posts for the electric wire connections as hereinafter described.

The end members 6 of the frame members b are connected by longitudinal wires 6 .any desired number of which may be employed, and the lon itudinal frame members b and b of the rames b are also connected by transversely arranged wires 72".

Rigidly secured to the parallel parts 6 and b of the frame members I) are alternately arranged contact fingers d which range transversely of the device, and these fingers d are preferably secured in the frame members I) as shown, and are preferably soldered tothe frame members I) at e, and

said fingers are'bent downwardly to form parallel central portionsfd? and upwardly directed free end portions d which are deti'on therewith is a longitudinal strip 1* of steel which is" placed thereon and secured thereto by a wire coil d wrapped securely therearound, and placed between- .the reduced bottom parts d of said fingers and the steel strip 05 is a supplemental strip (1 of lead, and m connecting these parts, or in forming the central parts d of the fingers d, the steel strip d is first secured to the part (Z by the coil d of wire, after whichthe lead in a liquid condition is poured in to form a strip d, or these parts of said fingers may be formed and connected in any desired manner, and the use of a wire coil in connecting said parts facilitates the operation of said fingers under changes of temperature, or the heating thereof as will be readily I understood.

It will be noted that the amount of leadd employedin the construction shown in Fig. 6 is less than the, amount employed in Fig. 5, and by changing the amount of lead employed in this connection the degree of heat necessary to operate the fingers d, as

hereinafter described, is regulated and th extent of the operation of the fingers is regulated. It being understood that when said strips oflead are made comparatively thick as shown in Fig. 5, the fingers (1 will make contact with the frame members I) under a lower degree of-heat than when saidfingers' are provlded with a thin strip oflead as shown in Fig. 6, it being also understood that when a thick Strip of lead is employed the fingers will move to a greater extent than when they are provided-with a thin strip of lead under the influence of heat by reason of the increase in the expansion; thereof.

In Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing, I have shown two of my improved signal devices connected in parallel, and when used in this way the adjacent ends of the signal devices are connected by circuit wires f which are connected with the corresponding binding posts formed by the corresponding screws 0 in the adjacent or inner ends of the signal devices, and connected with the binding posts a at the outer ends of the signal devices are main circuit wires 9 and h, and the main circuit wires 9 connect with a battery i and the circuit wires h with an electric signal or gong j of any kind or class located at any desired point, but it will be understood that the battery i need not be employed and the wires 9 may connect with any suitable sort of electric supply, and any desired number of the signal devices 7' may or any other suitable support, and in the use of my improved si al device or devices they are always secured in position so that theopen bottom of the hood frame will be.directed downwardly and the hot gases of combustion arising from a fire at any point-in a room, compartment or space in a building in which one or more of my improved signal devices are employed will enter the hood frame and come directly in contact with the fingers d, and as the central portions (1 .of said fingers are heated the end portions 03 thereof will come in contact with the strips or parts 03 of the frames 6, and the electric circuit will be completed and the signal device or devices 3' operated, as will be readily understood.

My improved signal device or devices will operate without the use of the wires b? and b but said wires are employed for the purpose of rendering the frames 6 more sensitive, and in order that all parts of said frames may be kept in electrical connection at all times, and especially. if said frames or any parts thereof should become broken or disconnected at any time, and with the construction shown it will be seen that the frames 6, or the parts thereof, are not in electrical connection at any time, except when the fingers d are in operation, as hereinbefore described, under "the influence of heat applied thereto.

'ceive the hot gases of combustion arising from a fire in any part of a room or compartment in which said device or devices are placed, and the hood frame is employed for the purpose of directing sald hot gases into contact with the fingers (1 so as to insure the quickest possible operation of said fin--.

gers.

y detalls of the construction of the frame members dherein shown and described, nor to the construction of the hood frame a, and various changes in and modifications of these features of my improvedsignal device or devices as well as other .parts thereof may invention is not limited to the exact be made, within the scope of theappended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing 1ts advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I I claim as new and desire to secure by Let- I ters Patent, is 1. In a device or apparatus of the class described, a contact finger the central portiontion under the influence of heat, the expansion and contraction of the central metal being greater than that of either of the other two.

2. In a device or apparatus of the class (Tescribed, a contact finger the central portion of which is composed of three difi'erent metals having different degrees of expansion and contraction under the influence of heat, and the central part of said finger being composed of lead.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a contact fingercomposed of a main part having a central weakened portion in connection with which is employed a supplemental strip of steel and between which parts is placed a strip of lead.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a contact finger composed of a main part having a central weakened portion in connection with which is employed a supplemental strip of steel and between which parts is placed a strip of lead, all of said parts being secured together by a wire wrapped therearound.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 27th day of November 1916.

ALEXANDER GIACCONE.

Witnesses:

C. E. MULREANY, H. E.'THOMPSON. 

